Man, somehow I can’t get the thought of Thanksgiving out of my head lately! The weather in NYC turned chilly in the last week, and now it’s really starting to feel like winter is here for good. So I’ll be breaking out my boots, scarves and winter coats, and putting some serious thought into what to make for the holidays this year.

Our stuffing “secret” ingredient is dried apricots — they give a bit of extra sweetness and are a little unexpected. I know a lot of recipes call for sausage, but as I was a vegetarian for many, many years, ours is always veggie-friendly (and you can use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock if you want a full vegetarian alternative). Usually I hate, hate, hate celery — but weirdly, I love it in this.

And, last, I didn’t forget: the winner of the T.J. Maxx and Marshalls giveaway is Brooke, comment #74! I’ll be emailing later today for your address!

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. In a saute pan, heat the celery and onion in the butter until tender. Remove from heat and add the bread, apricots, chicken stock, salt and pepper, and mix well. Pour the mixture into a 13 by 9 inch baking dish. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 1 hour. After one hour, uncover the stuffing and bake for an additional ten minutes, and serve.